Carbureter.



No. 794,938. PATENTED JULY 18, 1905.

G. 1101mm.

GARBURETER. uruunox nun 5221:, 1903.

4 SHEETS-RESET 2.

ANDREW n cnwvw m. PHOTO umocmmm; WMHINGTON. ac

PATENTED JULY 18, 1905.

G. HOULON. CARBURE TER.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT.2, 1903.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 8.

mm a mum on. nmounmumuu WM! mam 0y I;

No. 794,938. PATENTED JULY 18, 1905. G. HOULON. GARBURETER.

APPLICATION FILED 5121 12. 1903.

4 sums-81mm 4.

UNITED STATES Patented July 18,1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

CARBURETER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 794,938, dated July 18, 1905.

Application filed September 2, 1903- Serial No. 171,597.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEonoEs HOULON, manufacturer, a citizen of the Republic of France, residing at Reims, in the Republic of France, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Carbureters, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is a carbureter for air or other gases of the kind in which a hydrocarbon is led over evaporating-surfaces for breaking up or volatilizing theliquid, so as to come in contact with the maximum of air for carburation and in which also the hydrocarbon is stored in a separate reservoir and is led to the evaporating-surfaces by means arranged to maintain the liquid at a constant level.

The invention is designed to permit of obtaining in apparatus of this kind a gas of a predetermined constitution or richness and to avoid the direct contact with the evaporatingsurfaces of too large a quantity of hydrocarbon in order to maintain its homogeneity that is to say, to prevent the more fluid parts of the hydrocarbon evaporating prematurely and rapidly, so that a part of the liquid remains in the apparatus of such a high density that the evaporation only takes place slowly and with difliculty. I

The apparatus which is the object of this invention is distinguished,essentially,frornthose at present known by the simultaneous evaporation of dilferent liquids or hydrocarbons for instance, gasolene, alcohol, and the like led separately to different superimposed evaporating-surfaces in such a manner that the air to be carbureted or the gas to be enriched is charged successively with volatile particles from these different liquids and that its richness in combustible carbonated particles can be varied and regulated in a large measure by its passage across the superimposed evaporating-surfaces charged with these dilferent liquids. The apparatus is distinguished also from those previously known by the arrangement for feeding the evaporating-surfaces which completely protects the reserve supply of the different liquids or hydrocarbons employed from the action of the air and only exposes to the action of this air a minimum volume of liquid.

In carrying out the invention the apparatus is constructed with a reservoir or chamber containing a certain number of superimposed evaporating-surfaces formed, for example, of

Wicks or sheets or slabs of any other suitable porous material fed separately or in groups by ,the diflerent liquids or hydrocarbons. These sheets, slabs, or wicks dip into receivers or feeding channels or rings capable of containing only a small volume of liquid and in which the level of this liquid is maintained constant by any convenient system of supply for instance, by the well-known system based on Mariotts law, by a float, or other appropriate arrangement. The air for carburetion or the gas to be enriched circulates in the apparatus between the different sheets, slabs, or wicks which it is obliged to traverse in such a manner as to charge itself successively with the combustible particles of the different liquids led to the sheets, slabs, or wicks.

Referring to the annexed drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section of an apparatus constructed according to the invention and adapted to be charged with two diflerent liquids or bydrocarbons Fig. 2 is a side view of the same apparatus. Figs. 3 and 4: are two vertical sections at right angle of a modification of the said apparatus.

The apparatus comprises an outer chamber 1, provided at its lower end with an inlet-pipe 2 for the introduction of air or gas under a certain pressure and at its upper end with an outet-pipe 3 for the exit of the carbureted air or the enriched gas. Upon supports or carriers 4:, fitted in the chamber 1, are carried receivers, channels, or rings 5 for containing the liquid to be evaporated. Into these channels or rings 5 dip by their extremities the evaporating surfaces or sheets 6for instance, of wick-which charge themselves by capillary attraction from the liquid contained in the receivers, channels, or rings. These porous sheets, slabs, or wicks are sustained in position by wire frames or network 19. In order to assure the regular passage of the air or gas through the porous surfaces 6, the course of said air or gas in the apparatus is varied by baflie-plates 7 leaving alternately at either end a passage 8 or opening for the gas to flow through. The evaporating-surfaces 6 are fed alternately by liquids or hydrocarbons of the same nature. The lowest surface 6is fed, for example, with alcohol, the succeeding surface with gasolene, the succeeding surface again with alcohol, the following with gasolene, and so on. For this purpose the apparatus is provided with two feeding arrangements com: prising each of them receivers or containers 9 and 10, placed at the outside of the chamber 1 and communicating with the channels or rings 5 by openings 11 and connected together by pipes '12, opening about on a level with the top of the said openings 11. The upper receiver 9 or of each arrangement is united by a pipe 13, provided with a tap 14, to one or other of two or more reservoirs 15 16, fixed at the top of the apparatus. One

- reservoir 15 contains, for example, the alcohol feeding half the evaporating-surfaces and another reservoir 16 contains the gasolene feeding the other receivers 10. The reservoirs 15 and 16 are each provided with a gage.

It will be easy from the above description to follow the working of the apparatus. When the taps l4 are'opened, the liquids contained in the reservoirs 15 and 16 flow by the pipes 13 into the receivers 9 and 10 until the level of the liquid rises to the top of the pipes 12, connecting the top receivers to those immediately under them. Theliquid then flows at once by these pipes into the receivers immediately below. When the level in the lower. receivers 9 10 is raised so that it reaches the bottom end of the connecting-pipe 12,

the flow of liquid is arrested and the level remains constant in the receiver under consideration. The same action is reproduced successively in each of the receivers 9 10 until the constant level is obtained in each of them. The flow from the reservoirs 15 16 then ceases completely. The evaporatingsurfaces 6 charge themselves by capillary attraction with the hydrocarbons or liquids led by the passages 11 to the channels or rings 5. If then'a current of air or gas is passed into the apparatus, this air or gas in traversing the evaporating-surfaces 6 becomes charged with combustible particles of the hydrocarhens, and as it encounters successively the evaporating-surfaces charged with the different liquids the gas produced acquires as complete a homogeneity as possible and its richness can be regulated at will. The air thus carbureted or gas enriched escapes by the outlet-pipe 3 after having circulated in the apparatus between the baffie-plates 7, following the course determined by the openings 8, formed at the opposite ends of consecutive baffle-plates.

. It will be noticed that not only is it thus the invention. it has been supposed that the channels or rings 1 5, into which the evaporating-surfaces 6 dip,

possible to regulate at will the richness and composition of the gas-produced by the successive evaporation of-the different hydrocarbons, but that in addition all spontaneous or excessive evaporation of the more fluid parts of the hydrocarbons will be completely prevented. In no case will it be possible for any great waste of the liquid to take place, the volume of the liquid exposed to the action of the air or gas being reduced to a minimum on account of the special arrangement of the feeding channels or rings. Each of these never contains more than a very small quantity of hydrocarbon, which is replaced in proportion to requirement when the level falls in the corresponding receivers 9 and 10. Thehydrocarbon will be as a result replaced in proportion to the evaporation and the liquid submitted to this evaporation will always remain homogeneous.

In the modification shown in Figs. 3 and 4 each annular feeder 5 supplies a group of evaporating surfaces comprising, for instance, two sheets or wicks 6 superimposed. In addition in this apparatus the receivers 9 10 for the different liquids are situated alternately on each side of the outer chamber.

There are also other modifications in detail possible which alter in nothing the nature of In the preceding description are formed of annular rings into which the evaporating-surfaces dip by their exterior border. This arrangement .is,.however, notindispensable, and it is evident that the annular receivers can be replaced by two channels or receivers placed opposite to oneanother and joined together, for instance, by a pipe 18, Fig. 1. In this case the evaporating-surfaces 6 dip into the channels5 at their opposite ends. The supporting-frames 19 for the evaporating-surfaces rest on the receivers or channels and being adjusted with care assure at the same time the air-tightness of the edge of the evaporating-surface 6 with the wall of the outer chamber 1 and prevent the direct passage of air at this point.

The system of feeding above described is not absolutely indispensable and can evidently be replaced by any other arrangement which will maintain the level of the liquid constant for instance, by means of a float.

What I claim is 1. Acarbureter comprising an outer chamber, an inlet-pipe for air or gas at the lower end of said chamber, an outlet-pipe at the upper end of said chamber, anumber of superimposed evaporating-sheets of textile material placed in said chambers, channels in which the evaporating-sheets of textile material dip by their extremities and means for feeding a number of the evaporating-sheets of textile material with a given liquid or hydrocarbon;

and the other evaporating-sheets of textile material with another liquid or hydrocarbon, substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.

2. A carbureter comprising an outer chamber, an inlet-pipe for air or gas at the lower end of said chamber, an outlet-pipe at the upper end of said chamber, a plurality of superimposed evaporating-sheets of textile material placed in said chambers, channels in which the evaporating-sheets of textile material dip by their extremities, two feeding arrangements by which the evaporating-sheets of textile material are fed alternately by liquids or hydrocarbons of the same nature, a first evaporating-sheet oftextile material being fed with a first liquid, the succeeding sheet of textile material with another or second liquid, the succeeding sheet of textile material again with the first liquid, the succeeding sheet of textile material with the second liquid and so on, substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.

3. A carbureter comprising an outer chamber, an inlet-pipe for air or gas at the lower end of said chamber, an outlet-pipe at the upper end of said chamber, superimposed evaporating-sheets of textile material placed in said chambers, channels in which the evaporating-sheets of textile material dip by their extremities, receivers placed at the outside of the outer chamber and communicating each with one of the channels, pipes connecting the said receivers to each other by groups and a reservoir for each group of receivers which are connected together so as to feed the several groups of receivers with different liquids, substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.

4. A carbureter comprising an outer chamber, an inlet-pipe for air or gas at the lower end of said chamber, superimposed evaporating-sheets of textile material placed in said chambers, channels in which the evaporatingsheets of textile material clip by their extremities, receivers placed at the outside of the outer chamber, and communicating each with one of the channels, pipes connecting the said receivers to each other by groups, a reservoir for each group of receivers which are connected together so as to feed the several groups of receivers with different liquids and means to secure a constant level of liquid in each receiver and in each channel feeding the evaporating-sheets of textile material, substantially as described and for the purposeset forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand'in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGES HOULON.

Witnesses PAUL SIMON, AUGUST Doucn, 

